An Augusta pilot’s attempt to turn back toward Daniel Field moments after takeoff ended in tragedy when the plane stalled and crashed in a residential area, according to a final report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The NTSB concluded the May 2, 2024, crash was caused by the pilot’s “excessive turn rate and bank angle while at low airspeed and altitude,” the report, issued Aug. 28, said.
The sharp turn caused an “accelerated aerodynamic stall” and loss of control by the pilot, it said.
Pilot Jason McKenzie, a director of philanthropy for Augusta University, had only acetaminophen, naproxen and the allergy drug Allegra in his system, the report said. He was killed by “inhalation of superheated combustion products,” it said.
Just over a minute after the Beechcraft Bonanza left Daniel Field, the plane’s airspeed began dropping as it rolled at 7.4 degrees per second, more than double the safe rate, the report said,
Seconds after the turn, the aircraft struck a large oak, leaving its left wing lodged 60 feet off the ground, the report said.
As the rest of the craft descended, it left a 150-foot trail of wreckage before coming to rest in the front yard of a Augusta home in the 2700 block of Hillcrest Avenue.
The plane’s flaps were retracted, while its landing gear was extended, the report said. I
nvestigators found 12 gallons of aviation fuel in securely-locked tanks on the wrecked plane.
The NTSB determined there were no signs of mechanical failure, weather was not a factor and that no distress calls were found.
Full data, including neighborhood surveillance video and eyewitness accounts, is available on the NTSB website at data.ntsb.gov..
Residents recall neighborhood plane crash
Neighbors’ video captured only sounds of the aircraft running into trouble. In the investigative report, residents submitted statements about what they saw and heard.
“We hear propeller planes overhead all the time, but this morning when I was in the bathroom I heard one that was MUCH louder than normal, so I quickly hopped over to the window to see what I could see,” said one neighbor who lives about a block from the crash site. “Right as I peeped through the blinds, I saw what looked like a red and white plane flying very low overhead in a southwest direction.
The plane disappeared from sight, toward a neighbor’s home. But soon, “our power/lights flickered and I heard two loud explosion noises in succession. The second noise was louder than the first. I knew it had to be a crash, and then about five seconds later, I saw a steady stream of black smoke coming up from behind their house.
NTSB final report on May 2, 2024 plane crash in Augusta, GA by Susan McCord
